EGRP Cancer Epidemiology News

February 2024

• Tips for Contacting Program Directors About NCI Grant Funding
• Funding Opportunities
• Grants Policy Announcements
• Requests for Information
• Job and Training Opportunities
• News and Blog Posts

Tips for Contacting Program Directors About NCI Grant Funding

Who are Program Directors?

NCI program directors (PDs), also referred to as program officers or program officials, provide scientific and administrative stewardship of research grants and serve as points of contact for applicants pre- and post-review. Their duties include:

• Managing a portfolio of grants within a particular scientific area;
• Overseeing programmatic, scientific, and technical aspects of grants;
• Organizing workshops and meetings to evaluate state-of-the-science, identify gaps in the Institute’s research portfolio, and explore opportunities to inform future research;
• Serving as a scientific liaison with other NIH institutes, government agencies, and professional societies; and
• Fostering science through interactions with investigators.

NCI’s Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP), in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), is currently served by more than 20 PDs with training and expertise in a variety of scientific areas, including, but not limited to, clinical and translational epidemiology; environmental epidemiology; genomic epidemiology; the development and validation of laboratory and technical approaches for large human population studies; and methods, tools, and technologies for risk factor assessment.

Those who do not already have an assigned PD are invited to review the EGRP staff list to identify PDs with related scientific responsibilities. If you do not know who to contact in EGRP with specific questions or information requests, please e-mail nciepicommunications@mail.nih.gov.

Contacting a Program Director during the Grant Funding Process

Before applying for a funding opportunity, contact a PD to ask about:

• Funding opportunities, initiatives, and programs in DCCPS;
• Learn about NIH pre-submission policies and procedures;
• Resources available from NIH/NCI;
• Eligibility, mechanisms, and requirements for funding;
• Information on policies or guidelines; and
• Priority areas for an institute, program, or branch.

Remember these tips when reaching out to a PD:

• Always email the PD first to request information or to schedule a phone call to discuss your research idea, application, or grant.
• Send the PD a one-page summary of your distinct aims or an abstract in advance of the call and come prepared with specific questions to ask during the call.
• Calls typically last 15–30 minutes. Sending your project information ahead of time allows you to spend more time asking key questions.

After your grant is reviewed, you may want to talk to a PD about the outcome of the review. Keep in mind that a PD cannot speak with you about the review until after the summary statement is available. The summary statement is usually available 4-6 weeks after the study section meeting is completed.

An award notification typically comes 7-10 months after you apply. After receipt of funding, contact a PD about:

• Your grant funding;
• Changes to your NCI-funded projects (e.g., changes in research aims);
• Carry over funds;
• Grant transfer or closeout; and
• Annual reports.

Additional Resources

To learn more about contacting PDs throughout the NIH grant funding process, visit:

• How to Apply – Application Submission and Review
• Key Contacts and Steps in the Grant Funding Process (PDF)
• How to Talk to an NCI Program Director to Begin Your Funding Application Preparation (Video)
• DCCPS Funding Opportunities

Funding Opportunities

Grants Policy Announcements

Requests for Information

Job and Training Opportunities

News and Blog Posts